Album Details

• Artist: Grails
• Album: Doomesdayer's Holiday
• Label: Temporary Residence
• Year of Release: 2009
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: patchen on 2009-04-20

Grails play an odd heavy mix of metal and psych, with jarring experimental guitar lines here and there that would make Zoot Horn Rollo proud. "Doomsdayer's Holiday," their 7^th release (including an EP) in six years, is a murky stew that has enough adventure to intrigue the progs and plenty of crunch to pacify the metalheads. I'm sure the involvement of members of Earth and SunnO))) behind the controls helps, but Grails have been exploring on their own their entire career. This record bears some of those juicy fruits.

"Reincarnation Blues" and "The Natural Man" blend some Mahavishnu-esque runs and psych-jazz riffage into the heavy swirl. "Predestination Blues" and "Acid Rain" are as trippy as they are menacing and crushing. The hypnotic assault has been perfected in recent years by the likes of Earth, OM, Black Cobra, etc. Grails, often are just as adventurous.

"Doomsdayer's Holiday" offers plenty of gravy with its meat. Grails know how to rock, but also know how to explore sonic opportunities when they feel it. That have what makes many a band special: the honesty to cop to their influences, and the balls to meet them head-on to add their own 2 cents.

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